[Lowe] The Brooklyn Nets never showed interest in swapping Mikal Bridges for that Simons/No. 3 package, sources said; it's unclear if the teams discussed it. The Miami Heat chuckled at Portland potentially asking about Bam Adebayo.

I have not heard convincing evidence that a sensible deal exchanging the No. 3 pick (and another player, likely Anfernee Simons) ever materialized for Portland. Moving up in the lottery -- jumping from No. 5 to No. 3 -- changed everything. For most talent evaluators, Henderson is better than the typical No. 3 pick -- maybe much better.

The LA Clippers would push back on the notion that they genuinely explored Paul George's trade value, but if they had, you cannot flip Henderson for a 33-year-old who hasn't played in more than 56 games since 2018-19 -- let alone one eligible for a massive extension.

https://www.espn.com.au/nba/insider/story/_/id/37995450/lowe-why-damian-lillard-portland-trail-blazers-breakup-actually-began-eight-years-ago